Death toll from Iranian protests surpasses 2,000, activists say

Activists report that more than 2,000 people have died in nationwide protests in Iran, and widespread communications outages have limited independent verification.

Activists say the death toll from nationwide protests in Iran has surpassed 2,000. Authorities cut international communications for days, and internet outages have limited outside reporting. Iranian state television offered an acknowledgment, saying there were many martyrs after activists released figures. The demonstrations began a little over two weeks ago over economic grievances and expanded to include criticism of the country's leadership. Known details: - Activist groups reported at least 2,003 deaths and warned the figure could rise; independent verification was not possible because of communications restrictions. - State media acknowledged a high number of dead while the government has not published an overall casualty figure. - Activists reported more than 16,700 detentions and widespread disruptions to internet and international communications. - Witnesses described a heavy security presence and damage to some government buildings and banks, and some people in Iran were able to make phone calls to contacts abroad for the first time in days. Summary: If confirmed, the reported death toll would exceed that of other recent rounds of unrest in Iran and recalls unrest seen decades ago. Undetermined at this time.